His multihued eyes dilate.
And somehow, I know that he knows what I was doing before dinner.
I locked the doors.
I scrubbed my hands.
I was nearly silent.
But like a wild animal scenting prey in the wind, DiAngelo knows. And he likes it.
My lips part, and blood floods my cheeks.
“Like it or not, Rina, I’m your new shadow.” His gravelly voice rakes across my skin. “You won’t take a single breath without my knowledge. Not a whimper … or a moan.”
Dear God.
This is so much worse than I ever imagined. DiAngelo is so muchmorethan I realized—more intense, more aware, moreraw.
If masculinity were a drug, most men would be mild recreational users, whereas DiAngelo is freebasing enough to stop an elephant’s heart. And it’s natural to him, not somemanufactured facade to compensate for insecurities. He’s the real deal, and it’s intoxicating.
I’ve never known a man like him.
I can remember thinking Craig was a man’s man—watching action movies and getting excited about spotting rare sports cars. Looking back, I realize he was rather average in that department, and not in a bad way. He was exactly what I was looking for at the time.
I was different back then.
Lifewas different.
Had I met DiAngelo back then, he probably would have terrified me. I wish that were the case now. And while he causes adrenaline to course through my veins, fear has nothing to do with the electric energy heating my bloodstream. His mere presence causes a chemical reaction inside me that’s impossible to ignore.
If Craig was a twinkling sparkler on the Fourth of July, DiAngelo is an all-consuming atomic blast.
Both serve their purpose. And while sparklers don’t excite me like they might have before, there was a time when that was exactly what I needed.
CHAPTER 6
TERINA
Past
“Three weeks from now?But you’ve only known each other for a few months!” My mom’s eyes are bulging so big I can see the whites all the way around her irises. I knew my parents would freak out when I told them Craig and I were engaged and planned to get married in less than a month. That’s why I insisted on telling them without him here. I didn’t want their objections to hurt his feelings.
“We’ll have been together for six months at that point,” I clarify.
Mom tosses her hands in the air. “Oh, six whole months. That changes everything. Terina, you’re only twenty-two. What’s the rush?” She freezes, her head whipping back around to spear me with her penetrating stare. “Are you pregnant?”
“No, Mama. I swear. There’s no rush, but we just don’t want to wait.” I try to explain my perspective. “If we love each other, and we want to be together, why delay?”
“Why rush?” she counters.
“You and Daddy okay if I move in with him, then?” My retort is dangerously sassy but only because I know the answer. Dad wasn’t thrilled when I told him I was dating someone outside the Moretti Family, and while he wasn’t going to force an archaic arranged marriage on me, I know that shacking up with a boyfriend would be absolutely forbidden.
“Terina,” Dad warns in a low rumble.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I don’t mean to be disrespectful.” I speak with deference, trying to get this discussion back on track. “You know how I feel about Craig, and you gave me your blessing to date him. Why is it a problem now that he’s proposed?”
Mom’s shoulders sag. She peers searchingly at my father, who has been unusually quiet since my announcement, then back at me. “Because, Rina. You’re still children—you hardly know yourselves, let alone one another.” Her words are spoken gently, and while I know they come from a place of love, I don’t want to hear them.
